More homeless people are using the subway as temporary housing, and the delays and disruptions have increased as well. A new city program will replace fines with outreach to provide better access to social services.
Winnie Hu reports that a new initiative in New York City called the Subway Diversion Project seeks to connect homeless people on transit with social services rather than giving them civil summonses that come with fines.
As the number of homeless people on the subway has increased, so have delays. "Trains were delayed 659 times last year by homeless people walking on tracks, blocking train doors and engaging in other unruly behavior — a 54 percent increase from the 428 such delays in 2014, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway," writes Hu.
This new approach will involve waiving the summonses if individuals leave with outreach workers who can do assessments and help plug people into a network of social services. But homeless advocates say the program is not offering any new resources and the focus instead should be on providing the housing and services needed to get homeless people off the streets.
City and transit officials say the program is part of a larger effort to help the city’s homeless population. "Mr. [Andy] Byford, the transit chief, said the new program aimed to help vulnerable people while also balancing their needs against the needs of millions of subway riders," notes Hu.
FULL STORY: How Subway Delays and the Homeless Crisis Are Intertwined
N.Y.C. Initiative Seeks to Connect Homeless on Transit with Social Services
The city is expanding outreach to homeless people in order to move them off the subway and steer them toward housing and social services.
More Unhoused New Yorkers Died in 2021 Than in any Prior Year
New York City saw its deadliest year for people living in shelters or public spaces, with the pandemic and a rise in deadly overdoses fueling a fatal epidemic.
New York Still Not Tracking Vacancies
Despite de Blasio's campaign promises, the city of New York still doesn't count vacant properties, a negligence that advocates for the homeless have been fighting for years.
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.
Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side
The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.
More Affordable Housing for People, Less for Cars
Most jurisdictions have off-street parking requirements that increase motorists’ convenience but reduce housing affordability. It’s time to reform these policies for the sake of efficiency and fairness.
Seattle Council Rejects Transportation Impact Fee
Councilmembers who opposed the proposal say the fee would have slowed housing development and raised housing costs.
FHWA Issues Emissions Tracking Rule
The agency will require states to monitor transportation emissions and create plans to address air pollution.
FTA Proposes Measures to Prevent Transit Operator Fatigue
Public transit is the only type of transportation not already subject to ‘hours of service’ and fatigue risk management regulations.
University of New Mexico - School of Architecture & Planning
Placer County
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Arizona State University, Ten Across
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
